Lens.



J. I. MADDEN.

LENS.

2 suzns suzn BY (9. c. M

ATTORNEY 1.1. MADDEN.

LENS. umcmou man DEC. B. 1911.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

INVENTOR 19/755 J/Zmar/ AYTOHWEV JAMES J. MADDEN, OF ABERDEEN. SOUTH DAKOTA.

LENS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

Application filed December 8. 1917. Serial No. 206.186.

To a whom it may com-rm lie it known that I. Janus J. l\l.\I)lHCX. a ('lliZtll of the United States of Anieri :a. residing at Aberdeen, in the county of Brown and State of South Dakota. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lenses. of which the following is a specifi cation.

My present invention relates to an improved l ns designed especially for use in the headlightsof automobiles and other vehicles for the purpose of eliminating the undesirable and dangerous glare from the head-lights and for distributing the light rays in :1 st rong. but not blinding nor dazzling light in front of the vehicle. By the utilization oi my lens as a part of the headlight oi an automobile. not only is the upward glare eliminated. thus preventing the blinding of pedestrians and others by an approaching ear. but. the non-glare light beam is concentrated in front of the moving automobile so that the way is clearly delined and a brightly illuminated area provided forward of and at the sides of the road.

The invention consists essentially in certain combinations and arrangements of flutings and prisms or prismatic ribs on the front and rear t'aees oi the lens by means of which the light rays are. retracted and reflected. as will be clearly set forth in the following speeilieation and specifically pointed out in the elanns. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention, which has been constructed and is now in use, according to the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of so much of an automobile headlight of standard type, as is necessary to illustrate the application thereto of my improved lens.

Fig. 9. is a vertical, transverse sectional view of the glass lens, on a larger scale than that shown in Fig. 1, and at line 2-2 of ig. 3 is a horizontal, transverse view through the lens at line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is an inside or rear view of the lens.

Fi 5 is a. horizontal, transverse sectiona view of the lens at line 5- 5 of Figt 4.

provided with the standard 2 and. showing in dotted lines a lamp bulb it or other source of light. and of course the shell is equipped with the usual relleetor. not indicated. Inasnnu-h as the lens may be used with any of the usual or standard forms of headlight or other lamps. it will be understood ol" eourse that I do not limit myself to this particular form illustrated. but I do confine myself to the in'lproved lens as illustrated and depicted in the drawings and located, as at t. at the front of the lamp casing o1- shell in Fig. 1.

Any usual form of lens supporting ring or rim 5 is employed at the front of the lamp easing to support the glass lens 6. as shown in Fig. 1. and the remaining ligures are employed to show in detail the lens 15;)? 86- At the front or outer side of the lofts are fashioned a series of convex flutes 7; which extend verti'rally of the lens and cover the entire trout area for the purpose t giving a maximum amount f light and the distribution of light rays from the t'souree of light. both directly ahead and laterally.

The lower portion of the rear or inner fare of the lens is indieated att'flas a smooth. or tlat. plane surt'aee which portion adds thickness to the rear or inner lower portion of the lens bark of the llutes tir lluted front. face so that the light rays are permitted to pass directly through the lens to the reflecting or retracting flutes or. convex faces bu the front of the lens wlgere the rays are. evenly distributed in light emanating from the lower zone of the lens and illuminating the area. directly ahead and to the sides of theianip.

The upper portion o the rear face of the lens is broken up by the presence oftrseries of vertically disposed, prismatic rib 9 forming grooves 9' between them, and another series of horizontally disposed Jprismatic ribs 10 which provide shou ders with short horizontal faces 11, and these two series of ribs form prisms or facets covering t e major portion of the rear or i ner face of the lens extending from the top and bounded by the curved line 12 at t e bottom.

These prisms form retract ng media for breaking up the. light rays emanatingfrom it/illllfOlIIl beam of llt passe e of light rays and the fluted front idistri ntes,

from the lower zone of the lens, a light beam forwardly and downwardly, to illuminate the way, the beam being well de- 1 fined by the crescent shaped area or lower -neotion with portion of the lens.

- From the above fd'escri tion taken in conm appen ed. drawings, it is evident that Ill ve-providedan improved lens that fulfils the purposes and objects set forth as the end to be attained in-my in vention, and having thus fully described the invention, what I claim is A headlight lens having flutes covering its entire outer face, a lower portion of the rear face having a plane surface, and vertically and horizontally intersecting prismatic ribs forming prisms and covering the upper or remaining portion of the rear face.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JAMES J. MADDEN. 

